CJ Gossett
CJ Gossett, loving husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather, loyal friend to all who knew him, and longtime resident of Ennis, Texas, passed away at the age of 94 on May 31, 2024 at Beacon Crest Senior Living in Holladay, Utah.
CJ was born in Wills Point, Texas on June 20, 1929 to Daisy Edna Haynes and Milton Anderson Gossett, and was the youngest of three children.
CJ was a proud member of the United States Air Force which began with basic training in 1950 in San Angelo, Texas. He flew 87 combat missions in the 67th Fighter Bomber Squadron in Korea in 1952. His F-51 Mustang fighter proudly bore the name “Wills Point Wallop”. His decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal, and 2 Oak Leaf Clusters. He continued his service in the USAF at bases including Goodman Field in Kentucky, Eglin Field in Florida, and Langley Field in Virginia. In addition to the F-51 fighter that he flew in Korea, he flew F-47 fighters, T-33 jet fighters, and F84G and F84F aircraft. In 1955, he joined the 185th Fighter Interceptor Squadron of the Oklahoma City Air National Guard where he flew the F-80 “Shooting Stars” and the F-86D and F-86L all weather fighter interceptors. He received his honorable discharge in 1961 with the rank of Major.
He received his undergraduate degree in geology from the University of Oklahoma where he met his spouse, Noel Sjoberg Gossett. They were married in November 1958 and moved to Kansas City, Missouri where he received his Doctor of Dental Surgery from University of Missouri, Kansas City School of Dentistry. He and Noel welcomed their first child, Gretchen, in 1963. They moved to Ennis, Texas in 1965, and welcomed their second child, Jim, in 1966. CJ had a successful career as a dentist in Ennis for nearly 50 years until his retirement.
CJ was an active member of the Methodist Church in Ennis from the time he moved there until he moved to Utah in October 2023 to undergo medical treatment. He set a powerful example as a dedicated Christian who raised his children to love the Lord. He was a friend to everyone, and was truly interested in people and their lives. After he retired from dentistry, he developed a love for fitness and spent many hours at the gym with his friends right up until his move to Utah. He loved airplanes (talking about them, flying them, drawing them and watching documentaries about them), hunting, fishing, reading, and spending time with friends and family.
He will be remembered as a remarkable man who had no idea how remarkable he was. He fought bravely for his country, cared for his patients for decades, and loved his family deeply until his very last day on earth.
CJ was preceded in death by his wife, Noel Sjoberg Gossett, his parents, Milton and Daisy Gossett, and his siblings, Milton Gossett and Lila Starr. CJ is survived by his daughter, Gretchen Cunningham and her husband, Charles of Park City, Utah, and their children: grandson David Cunningham, his wife Kelsey, and great-grandsons Ryder and Eli, granddaughter Shannon Kovach, her husband Michael, and great-grandson Jackson, granddaughter Rebecca Riella and her husband, Dominic, and granddaughter Catherine; and by his son, Jim Gossett and his wife Chrissy of New Braunfels, Texas, and their children: grandsons Will and Adam, and granddaughter Lila.
A memorial service celebrating his life will be held on Saturday, June 29 at 11:00 AM at the First Methodist Church of Ennis, 300 N. Sherman St., Ennis, Texas 75119. There will be a visitation at 10am.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Wounded Warriors at https://support. woundedwarriorproject.org
